At Sunday’s BRIT Awards, 67-year-old David Bowie not only became the oldest recipient of a BRIT in the ceremony’s history, he also became the first major singer to weigh in on Scotland’s upcoming independence referendum.
During the awards ceremony, Bowie snagged the prize for Best Male and though he didn’t attend, he had supermodel Kate Moss—his “representative on earth,” according to Noel Gallagher—receive the award for him, BBC reports. Decked out in one of Bowie’s original costumes from his Ziggy Stardust years, Moss read out the acceptance speech that the iconic singer had prepared. “In Japanese myth the rabbits from my old costume, which Kate is wearing, live on the moon. Kate comes from Venus and I from Mars, so that’s nice,” Moss read. “I’m completely delighted to have a BRIT for being the Best Male, but I am, aren’t I Kate? I think it’s a great way to end the day, thank you very, very much. And Scotland, stay with us.”
That last comment was in reference to Scotland’s upcoming referendum on whether or not the country should seek independence from the United Kingdom. Though it’s been a hot topic in the British news, it was also a bit of surprise to hear Bowie weigh in on it, especially considering how quiet the London-born singer has been in recent years. After all, Bowie’s award was for last year’s The Next Day, which he released with zero fanfare after a 10-year hiatus.
What’s more, according to the Independent, with his speech, Bowie becomes “the first high-profile pop star to wade into the Scottish independence row at a time when politicians are debating the pros and cons of a separate state ahead of the 18 September referendum.”
[BBC]